Double music blow for Portsmouth as all Live at the Bandstand summer shows are cancelled

This year’s Live at the Bandstand music programme in Southsea has been axed amid on-going health fears about the coronavirus pandemic.

The news broke just hours after festival chiefs at Victorious revealed they were calling off their 2020 summer spectacular in August, in a bitter blow for the city.

Revealing the latest music blow for the city on Facebook, Live at the Bandstand said: ‘Unfortunately due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is with deepest regret that we have decided to cancel the Bandstand programme of events this summer.

‘We have been closely monitoring government advice and were hopeful we could at least deliver some of the Bandstand programme.

‘However, the UK government's Covid-19 recovery strategy clearly recognises that public events present a high risk to public health and therefore it will not be possible to hold large scale public gatherings at this stage and for many months ahead.’

The news comes as Portsmouth City Council today confirmed that all summer events for 2020 would be cancelled.

The city’s culture boss Councillor Steve Pitt said public safety had ‘to come first’ and that the council would ‘continue to monitor and assess’ the situation.

Live at the Bandstand concerts would have run from May to August.

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